Forgive and Forget
by StitchSaysHi
Summary: Adriana Montgomery was Aria's twin sister. At one time, she and the older DiLaurentis were close, very close. But will a year spent apart, given all that's happened, keep them from reconnecting? Or will their past, and their biggest secrets, push them together again? Rated T for now, but that may change later on.
1. Returns and Reunions

**A/N: This is my first story on here, so wish me luck! In this fic, I'm sorta messing with the timelines a bit. By this time, the girls have found the pictures in Jason's shed, but they don't yet know the whole story. They just know that there are pictures of what look like Aria sleeping. Aria and Jason haven't ever kissed, and probably never will, and basically all the big Jaria stuff just never happened. I'll try to figure out how to pinpoint their setting at some point, but for now, here's the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pretty Little Liars, this wouldn't be fanfiction, and if I owned Drew Van Acker...well, I probably wouldn't be online _writing _fanfiction at almost 1 in the morning.**

* * *

"Aria!"

There was no reply.

"Aria!"

Still nothing.

"Oh my god, ARIA!" A hand landed on the brunette girl's shoulder and she was forcibly turned around to meet the exasperated face of Spencer Hastings.

"Sorry, got the wrong girl." The girl smirked.

"What? What are you-" It took a moment before realization dawned on the scholar's face. "Wait, _Adriana_?"

"A+, Hastings. A+."

"Oh...my god. Hi!" She launched, pouncing and throwing her arms around the shorter girl. "Dear god!" She had to balance herself to keep from falling. Spencer may have been twig skinny, but the girl held more strength than anyone ever realized. Probably came from the years and years of field hockey and tennis at the country club.

The girl pulled in a breath as she was let out of the monster death grip of her friend, but wasn't able to speak a word before Spencer was going at it once more.

"When did you get back? Are you coming back to school? Does Aria know you're here?"

"One question at a time Spence. Remember, oxygen is usually considered a good thing." A laugh escaped the two girls' lips. "I got back last night. Yes, I am coming back to school. That's sorta why I'm here, and no. She was asleep by the time I got in and I figured I'd surprise her."

"Some surprise." Spencer chuckled as the girl merely shrugged.

_**Crash!**_ "Woah!" In that moment, Adriana Montgomery was sent tumbling to the ground by the weight of what felt like a person and, looking up, she noticed her sister was hugging her.

"Nice to see you two Ari, though next time, why don't we just try a 'welcome back' instead of running me over. Hell, what did you do, swallow a bus?"

"When the hell did you get back and why didn't I know about it?!" Aria gave a hard slap to her sister's shoulder as they stood to their feet, a laughing Spencer in the background, amused by the twin's antics.

"Your fault. You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. I was jet lagged anyways. Spending a full day and a half on planes and in airports can do that to a person."

"And you didn't think to call? Text? Email? What, did England turn you Amish?"

"Text? What is this text you speak of?" That got her a look. _Guess she's not amused_.

"Oh come on what fun would it have been if you knew I was coming back?"

"Screw you and your fun. I missed you."

"You, my beloved sister, are bipolar, but I missed you too." Throwing an arm around her sister's shoulder, they and Spencer headed off towards the main office to pick up Ade's schedule.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Hanna and Emily had been informed of Ade's return and had welcomed her back with open arms. Or rather, they'd tackled her to the ground with open arms. The news of Adriana Montgomery's return had spread fast, as news always did in high school. You couldn't so much as scratch your nose in the English Hall without someone knowing about it moments later out on the practice fields. So, sufficed to say, the return of the other Montgomery girl had caused quite a storm of whispers. Where had she been? What happened? Why is she back? Questions were asked, but rarely answered. Ade had never been one for gossip.

Unlike Aria, Adriana hadn't really been a part of Alison's group. She'd been more into hanging out with Alison's stoner older brother. Jason and Ade had always been...well, they had just_ been_. They'd never put a label on what exactly they _were_, because they didn't know how to describe it. She had always hung around Jason and his friends, which had irked a lot of people given their age difference. A high school girl with a college stoner and his buddies? Over time, their drug-induced habits had quickly rubbed off on the younger girl, and more than that, as Ade grew, so did her..._thing_ with Jason. In their drug hazes, the pair would often find themselves fumbling with belt buckles, naked limbs getting tangled together as they fell into either his bed or one at some cheap motel. It had been one of the main reasons Ali had never quite accepted Adriana into her little circle. Ade was the punk who was hooking up with Ali's older brother. That, and it often seemed that the girl's trademark ways of getting people to open up and spill their secrets never worked as well on the other Montgomery twin as the vindictive blond would have hoped.

However, closer to Ali's disappearance, Ade and Jason drifted apart, for reasons unknown to all but the two of them. Ali had picked up on this new development within a _nanosecond_, and had pounced the minute she suspected the bond was weak. Ade had caved accidentally, and things had just...faded.

Unfortunately, after Ade's parents had discovered the stash of joints in her room, everything had blown up in her face, and she'd been sent to a boarding school in England. She'd missed going with her family to Iceland, and although she'd spoken as often as possible to her twin in the year that she was gone, she and the oldest DiLaurentis had, in time, ceased contact altogether. She'd wanted to go back, after discovering Alison had gone missing, but _not_ because she missed the blond. She knew what it would do to her friends. Aria, Spencer, Hanna, Emily...they'd been brought together by the magnet known as Alison DiLaurentis, and without that magnet, Adriana knew that gravity would take its toll. But then there was Jason. As much as he'd always sworn to despise his sister, even he wouldn't be able to just brush off her disappearance. _Even Jason DiLaurentis had a heart._

But she was back now, and it looked like throughout the time between the Montgomery family's return to Rosewood and now, the group of girls had mended their bond, which was now stronger than ever by the looks of it. Ade only _hoped_ they had room for one more.

Shaking all thoughts from her mind, Ade stood in front of the mirror in her old bedroom, pulling her hair up into a ponytail and straightening out her tank top and training shorts. Boxes were piled up against the walls in her room, but besides that, everything was the same. This was where she belonged. Rosewood was her home. It had surprised even her how she had survived being away from everything she'd ever known for so long.

There was a knock at her door, and looking through the mirror, Adriana looked at her mom as the older woman walked through the door..

"Going for a run?" With a sigh, the girl nodded, moving away from the mirror and sitting down on her bed as she worked on tying her shoes.

"Uh, yeah. Never really had much time in England." She didn't want to bring up any old memories. Now was not a time for reminiscing.

"Have you talked to your brother?" The woman was cautious when approaching this subject. Mike had, according to Aria, been..._distant_ since their mom had come back. Apparently something had happened while she'd been away. Something involving Meredith, the woman their father had cheated with.

"He's been shifty since I got home. I mean, he said hi and welcome back and there was a quick moment containing a very tense, very awkward hug, but other than that I'm still trying to figure out if he's even happy that I'm here." Her words came out somewhat rushed, but her mom had understood them.

"Of course he's happy. He's just going through something and he...he needs some time. He'll come around."

Adriana nodded. "I hope so, otherwise I might have to forcibly knock some sense into him." She smiled as she put up her hands and threw some play punches.

"Yeah, keep those _fists of fury_ gloved for now, ok?" Her mother smiled, and it was the first real, carefree moment she'd shared with either one of her parents since her return.

"I'll try." She spoke between chuckles.

"Thank you. I'll let you get to your run. Dinner's at eight." Nodding, she finished off her shoelaces as she listened to her mother's steps descending the stairs.

It was good to be back.

* * *

Sweat was already beading on her skin, and she'd only been running for somewhere around...fifteen minutes? Rounding a corner, she ran smack into a body. A body equally as sweaty as her own, but much firmer. Looking up, she stared into a pair of familiar green-blue eyes. _Well shit._

"Jason." Ade made a mental note to thank Aria for not telling her that he was back. _Little bitch._

"Aria..." _Oh, and doesn't that just make things so much better. This has got to be the worst part about being a twin._

In an attempt to hide all the insecure, nervous feelings she was waging war with on the inside, she put on a smirk. "Guess again."

He looked at her like she was crazy for a moment before realization seemed to hit him like, not just a ton of bricks, but like a wrecking ball breaking through a ton of bricks and smashing into his face. "...Ade?"

"In the flesh." She couldn't completely mask her nerves there, but she tried. She should have remembered, however, that Jason had always been able to read her like a book. Luckily (or not so luckily), they were still distanced from all their time apart.

"When did you get back?" _Straight to the questions. Alright..._

"Uh, last night." She looked up into his eyes and noticed him scanning her. He started at her hair, which had grown since he last saw her, and almost back to its color, rather than the previous pitch black dye job.

"You look different." _No shit, really?_

She nodded, not really knowing what to do. "Well, It's been a year."

He didn't say anything, just looked down at her. She took that moment to analyze him as he had previously done her. If she had just seen him on the street, there was no way in a million years that she ever would have believed that this was the same guy she'd once rolled joints and drunk six packs with at two in the morning. Apparently she wasn't the only one who'd changed within the last year. His hair was still long-ish, but it was cleaner. He was clean-shaven, and no longer had the slight bags under red eyes watery from smoke exposure. He was still fit though, that was obvious. Ade had to catch herself before Jason got the chance to realize she was staring.

Their conversation was, if it was to be described in two words, short and awkward. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Ade had bid him goodbye and run off. God could I be any more of a coward? She mentally smacked herself and stopped at a corner, leaning against a the pole of a street light to catch her breath, remembering how not-cowardly she used to be.

**FLASHBACK**

_"Aria, your sister's swallowing my pathetic excuse for a brother again."The sickly sweet voice cut through the air, filled with obvious disgust as Alison DiLaurentis glared over her shoulder at a very dark looking Adriana Montgomery who, at the moment, practically sat on Jason DiLaurentis's lap on the banister of the porch, lips locked and a joint hanging from between the older boy's fingertips. He was practically blowing smoke into her mouth, both of them floating inches above sanity_

_A chuckle escaped the girl's lips as she parted from the older boy._

_"You know, Ali, sometimes, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were actually jealous." She spoke with a sarcastic kindness in her voice, placing emphasis on Alison's little nickname as the blond glared at her from her spot on the lawn, where she sat surrounded by her little cult, Ade's sister among them. The Power Puff Girls, Jason always called them...a fitting name._

_"Jealous? Of what? The fact that you and my mentally deficient"_

_Ade cut her off, something she knew often caused the girl to crack, even just a little bit. Hopping down from the banister she landed on the ground easily, walking over to the girl._

_"Jealous, because despite everything I've ever heard you say, I've yet to see you so much as kiss a guy, let alone..." She looked back at Jason when she heard him laugh, his voice hoarse due to the smoke._

_"Ugh, I seriously don't need the mental image." Turning back, she knew Alison was probably imagining a number of ways to murder her, but even if looks could kill, the most Adriana could have walked away with was a scratch on her face. Without the power of knowing Ade's secrets, Alison was just about as terrifying as the Easter Bunny._

_Getting up in the girls face, Ade chuckled to herself. "We all know you can talk, Alison, but can you walk?"_

_"Knock it off Ade." Aria's voice spoke out, as the girl looked tiredly at her sister._

_Rolling her eyes, Ade walked back up the stairs and was pulled inside by Jason's strong arms. She wasn't given time to speak a word before he grabbed her and pressed his lips hard against her own._

**END FLASHBACK**

Her phone buzzed. Taking it out of her pocket, a chill ran down her spine as her head snapped up and she looked all around her.

**Blocked ID**: _Touching reunion Ade, but you can't hide forever. I know what you did last summer. -A_

* * *

**Kay! ****Now, reviews or comments or whatever would be greatly appreciated, good and bad. Since this is my first thing I want to make sure I'm getting off on a good start. Sorry if it seemed a bit rushed, I wrote most of that during school today (and believe me, it is extremely difficult to focus on converses, inverses, and contrapositives when Drew Van Acker keeps popping into your mind). I'll try to have the next chapter up sometime within the week, so...yeah!**


	2. Questions Unanswered

**A/N: Alright! Second chapter! Woo! I think...I'm not sure if it'll pass expectation, or if it'll fit the standard you guys set for me since the first one, with all the amazing praise you guys have been giving. I never expected to get all the reviews, the favorites, the follows, but I did, and it just made me more excited to get this next chapter up as soon as I could. So...thanks! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own PLL. I should though. The amount of shirtlessness on the guys would increase by like 10,000%. And what's worse, I still don't own Drew Van Acker, but I'm working on it!**

* * *

Her throat ran dry and her body rigid.

**Blocked ID**:_ Touching reunion Ade, but you can't hide forever. I know what you did last summer. -A_

Staring down at the words, Ade felt like she was going to fall. Her head felt heavy and the world around her was spinning out of control. She thought she might be sick.

Someone knew. They knew what she'd done.

Looking up, she scanned her surroundings for a face or a sign or something. And then she saw it. The flyer, barely hanging on to the pole of a street lamp. Making her way across the street, she approached the sign, flattening the paper out to get a better look.

**MISSING**  
**Alison DiLaurentis**  
**Would now be 16.**

In the center of the poster was a headshot of Alison, her lips spread in a smile that seemed to taunt Ade as she stared down at it. Adriana's fingers curled into a fist and the paper crumpled in her hand. Letting go, it fell to the ground in a wad.

Why were those still up? Hadn't the case been solved? Hadn't Ian Thomas confessed to killing Alison and committed suicide? For god's sakes she was going to his funeral tomorrow!

Tossing a glance over her shoulder at the almost bare streets, Adriana made for home. She needed to think, and standing out in the open was most likely not the best place to do that

* * *

_'Cause she's a cruel mistress,_

_and a bargain must be made._  
_But oh my love, don't forget me,_  
_when I let the water take me..._

_So lay me down,_  
_and let the only sound_  
_be the overflow_  
_pockets full of stones..._

_Lay me down._  
_let the only sound,_  
_be the overflow..._

Staring up at the ceiling in her bedroom, music blaring loud enough for her to feel it, Ade thought about what the message had said. Could it perhaps just be a prank? Some kid had realized she was back and decided to mess with her head? How would anyone have known anyways? The only people who knew were her and Jason, and Jason would never have sent her something like that. Would he?

Coming out of her own mind, Ade felt one of her headphones being removed from her ear. Turning her head she saw her sister sitting there.

"Yes?" She sat up, her hair falling over her shoulders.

"Let's do something." Her sister was smiling, but it wasn't her _normal_ smile. This one meant something.

Raising a brow at her twin, Ade turned her body to face her. "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's go over to Spencer's. We can all hang out, and it'll be like old times."

"That's not old times, Aria. Old times would be me going off to get a fix while you and the Power Puff girls followed Alison around like a bunch of lost puppies." Her sister's eyes narrowed at her use of the term coined by Jason back in their drug days.

"Ok, so maybe not old times, but they're already heading over there so come on!" Her sister's hand latched around Ade's wrist and practically hauled her off her bed, and would have dumped her in the ground if she hadn't stuck her feet out.

"Can I at least change first? Pretty sure they don't want to see me looking all...disheveled." She pleaded, even slipping in a big word for extra points. She needed a shower too, but that would apparently have to wait.

"Fine, but hurry!" With that her sister turned and left the room, leaving behind a smirking Adriana, who at that moment, was once again glad to be back in Rosewood.

* * *

Laughter could be heard from the bedroom of one Spencer Hastings as four of the five girls sprawled out on the bed, their smiles wide. Hanna had walked off to take a call, and hadn't yet come back.

"I can't believe you've been gone for a year. It felt longer to me." Spencer reclined, laying her head back on the wall. Ade smiled. Spencer wasn't wrong.

"To you?! How do you think I felt! She's my _sister_!" Aria yelled, though you could tell she wasn't being mean. She was grinning too much.

"And what are we talking about?" Hanna's voice entered the mix as she walked in and hopped up on the bed.

"Oh they're just fighting over who missed me more. Who was on the phone?"

"Oh, just Caleb." The girl looked away, smiling nervously as her cheeks turned pink.

"I call bullshit on that '_just_'."

"Ok, I thought we were here to talk about you. Let's get back to that."

"Bitch."

"Rude!"

"Yep!" Jumping to her feet, Ade turned around to face the girls she was surprised she could actually call _friends_. She'd never really been one of them, even after Alison had latched her perfectly manicured claws into her and pulled her in, and yet here she was, laughing like they'd been best friends for ages. It was still strange to her, but it was welcome. "I want popcorn."

"You're hungry again?! Where does all of it go?!" Spencer groaned, looking at the girl with surprise etched into her features.

"My stomach? And here I thought you were supposed to be the _smart one_." Rolling her eyes, she turned and walked downstairs, hearing the other girls following behind her.

"I'm really glad you guys could stay over tonight. I didn't feel safe, being alone." Spencer gave the girls a shy smile. It was obvious that the mood had shifted in the three minutes and twenty seconds it took for Ade's popcorn to pop.

A light caught her eye and she turned, looking out the window at the DiLaurentis House, where she saw Jason taping newspaper to the windows. She pondered for a moment why he would be doing such a thing, but was unable to process any of the thoughts before Spencer caught her. "God, could he be any more creepy..."

Ade kept quiet. That had been the one thing that she and the other girls had never been able to find even ground on._ Jason_. Remembering her run in with the man earlier brought that text back to her mind. Maybe...maybe the girls would know something?

"Can I ask you guys something?"

All of them turned to her, nodding their "yeah"s, and "sure"s, and then there was the one "of course" from Spencer.

"Have any of you been getting...texts? From a blocked number?"

All of them stiffened to the point that, had she believed in that sort of thing, she would've sworn they'd seen Medusa and turned to stone.

"You got a message from A?" Aria was the first to speak, stepping closer to her sister, a worried look in her eyes. Ade nodded.

"It came while I was running today."

"Well what did it say?" Spencer inquired, her face more serious than Ade had ever remembered seeing it.

_Shit._ She couldn't tell them. They'd only ask what A had meant by 'knowing what she did last summer', and Ade couldn't tell them. It was the one thing that she'd never even told her sister. That was _her_ secret. So, she lied.

"I, um, don't remember, and I deleted the text after I got it. Figured it was just someone playing a prank." She'd always been a good liar. She'd needed to be, what with all of her old habits.

Deciding that if she brought up something else they wouldn't like, it would get them off the subject, Ade moved on. "It was right after I saw Jason so my mind was sort of caught up in flashback mode. Sorry." _3...2...1..._

"Wait, you saw Jason? Did you...talk to him?" _Right on schedule Spence._

"Tried to. It was really awkward though. I mean, it's been a year, of course things were gonna change."

The four girls exchanged looks that put Adriana on edge. She couldn't do this anymore. Not tonight.

"We should get some sleep. We have the funeral tomorrow." She stood to her feet and walked back upstairs, even while the others didn't follow her at first. She didn't need to think anymore. She needed to sleep. There was always the possibility that the text had just been a fluke, and she would wake up tomorrow to a new day. A fresh start. That was what she really needed.

* * *

No one spoke a word as the crowd of people stood around Ian Thomas's coffin. Most of the town hadn't even come, but the ones that had were either their for closure or to stare at the descending casket of a murderer. Ade stood with the other girls, but did not toss any dirt on the casket. Instead she looked out amongst the crowd.

In her mind, she was waging a war with her memories. On one hand, Ian had always been a bit of a perv, handing out ill-placed, awkward comments wherever he felt they would do the most damage. He just knew how to hide it around people he wanted to impress. That was another thing; he was a charmer, and had worked his magic easily on Spencer's older sister Melissa, twice it would seem. Not only that, but he'd had a dark side. It showed whenever he lost a bet whenever the field hockey team lost a game, or whenever someone just seemed to one-up him at _anything_.

Then, on the other hand, Ade was trying to decide whether or not she could believe that he'd actually had it in him to _kill someone_. Sure, Alison had always loved to push people, but had she really pushed Ian_ that_ far? Something about it didn't feel right. But then again, he had confessed. So wasn't that proof enough?

Despite all of her attempts at self-assurance, Ade couldn't shake that there was something just...not right about all of it. Looking up and away from the casket, she spotted a face she hadn't expected to see. There, sitting on a bench some yards away, was _Jason_, looking rather solemn. Shouldn't he have been happy that his sister's killer was gone, and that the long run-out mystery of her death had been solved?

As the crowds dispersed, Ade took a step towards him, until Spencer put a hand to her arm. "I don't think you should hang around him. Ok, he could be dangerous."

Turning to her, Ade held back the river of snarky retorts. "I just want to talk to him." She removed her arm from the girl's grip and walked off before the brunette had the chance to stop her, slowly making her way over to where Jason sat.

"I didn't think you'd come to this." She spoke softly, not wanting to startle him. As if she ever could have...

"Guess I was just looking for answers." He barely even looked up at her, giving her only a sideways glance. Sitting down next to him, she wanted to reach out to him, but wasn't sure how he would take it.

"Did you find any?"

"More than I might have wanted." There was a pause as he presumably pondered his next words. "You just...you don't know how good it feels to know it _wasn't me_."

This actually managed to shock her. He thought that he'd killed Alison. That he'd murdered his own sister? She didn't say anything. What was there that she could say? How was she supposed to respond to that? Luckily, he spoke for her.

"I don't remember a _thing_ from the night Ali died. Ok, and back then, when I got loaded, I got angry...but_ you_ knew that better than anyone."

He wasn't wrong. Back during their drug days, when Jason got high, his emotions would blow through the roof, or at least his more aggressive ones would. It often resulted in nights between the two that were more..._rough_, than others. Teeth biting, nails on skin, bruises on her hips from where his hands had been that would last for days...they were all imprinted into her memory. But she hadn't been there _that_ night.

"I blacked out, and I woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover, and...and this..." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded, wrinkled piece of paper. Handing it to her slowly, he ran a hand through his hair.

Unfolding the paper she looked down on the words, which caused her to freeze to her seat.

_I know what you did._

They were just like the text. Could they have been sent by the same person? She looked up at him, trying to hold back her shock as best she could.

"Where did you get this? Wh-What does this mean?"

This time he did look at her, and the look in his eyes told her exactly what she didn't want to think.

"I don't know, but I've got a pretty good idea."

She wanted to tell him. She wanted to talk to him about the text, but she knew it would probably just bring up more questions than it would answer. Problems she knew she couldn't solve, so why bring them up? Why let the questions be asked? She handed him the note back, and silence passed between them for a moment.

He stood up, and she watched him.

"Listen, I've gotta go. I'll see you later." He started to walk away, and she looked down at her hands.

"And Ade?" She looked up at him as turned to look back at her.

"I'm glad you're back." A smile, or what Adriana thought looked almost like a smile, seemed to ghost across his lips before he turned and walked across the grounds away from her.

_I'm glad you're back._ The words stuck with her.

* * *

**And there you have it! The second chapter! Remember, reviews are oh so very welcomed, and make sure to check the tumblr page (damaged-fanfiction) for more excerpts and updates about the upcoming chapters! I'm off to sleep, because I think I might be developing a habit of posting these stories at one in the morning, and that could be potentially problematic (****_Harry: Potentially problematic? When's the last time you held your breath underwater for an hour Hermione?) _****Sorry...It was too good to resist. Bye!**


	3. Memory Lane

**A/N: First of all, I had to work in the Haygoods somehow. Went to their show three nights ago. It was absolutely mind blowing. I'vebeen going to their shows with my family my entire life, and Michael Haygood, the one who sings the song that I talk about in this chapter, has grown into quite an attractive man. You guys should check them out. They're all related. Seven brothers, and one sister. Almost like the Weasleys, who are also mentioned in this chapter! And for those of you who've been reading the blog, I apologize for not posting any teasers. I didn't know what to post for this one.**

**Oh, and like I said, I'm fucking with the time lines, so things happen out of order. Yeah...if you hadn't already noticed. You probably have, but I just thought I'd tell ya.**

**Disclaimer: Nope...still don't own PLL. Marlene King gets to keep screwing with my heart and mind. And I've got nothing to report on my status of owning Drew. Do you think I'd go to prison for owning him? Isn't that illegal now? To own people? (attack of the sarcasm and my not-really-that-funny wit!)**

* * *

Kicking her foot against the ground, Ade rolled across the concrete sidewalk on her old skateboard, a cover of Hey Soul Sister, by some group called The Haygoods, playing on her phone.

Seeing a familiar face out near the street of his house, a smile crossed her lips as she came to a stop by the mailbox of the Cavanaugh house.

"Hey Toby." She knew what thoughts were crossing his mind, so she cut him to the chase.

"It's Adriana."

He smiled. "Ade? When did you get back to Rosewood." He hugged her and she put a foot down on the ground so as not to let her board roll out from under her and send her falling to the ground in a _very_ un-graceful way.

"Couple nights ago. Still settling back in."

"I'm glad to see your face around here again."

She looked at him. "So my_ twin_ sister's face just wasn't cutting it?"

"No. You two are too different to pull that off." She feigned disappointment at his comment.

"_Darn_. And here I thought we could so easily put the Weasley twins out of a job..."

He laughed, and Ade couldn't help but join him. So many people had always thought that Toby Cavanaugh was just a weird, creepy outcast, but Ade had always thought of him as one of her closest friends, one of the only ones she'd had that were actually her own age.

"Toby? Who is that?"

Jenna. Ade's laughter died, slower than Toby's, who went silent at the sound of her voice.

"It's just me, Jenna. It's Adriana, Aria's sister?"

"Oh. Hi." Nice to see you too...

Toby glanced back at her with a solemn look in his eyes. Ade shot him a look back that read '_That bad huh?_'

His look was all the reply she needed. '_You have no idea._'

"Well, I better get going. But hey, we should do something, soon."

"Yeah. Yeah, we should."

She held her hand up as she rode past, giving him a high five and pulling a smile from the boy. She waved back at him as she rode by, passing houses and soon coming through into the actual town.

_Well, good to know Jenna's still as scary as ever. I wonder what went down between her and Toby. Maybe I could ask Spencer. She is dating him now. God that's a weird couple. Cute, but weird._

In a split second, Adriana was dragged from her thoughts by someone's hand pulling her into a nearby alley and kissing her. Jumping into action, she sprang away from her attacker and looked up to see an older man, somewhere in his twenties, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a now confused look on his face.

"What the hell!"

"What's wrong?" He rose an eyebrow at her.

"You kissed me!"

"Yes, I did." He reached out for her, but she moved away.

"Yeah, why? Do you just go around kissing strangers all the time or am I special for some reason?"

Now he was confused. "Strangers? Aria what are you talking about?"

Oh. He thought she was Aria. Wait, Aria had a _boyfriend_? And Ade didn't know about it?! "Sorry dude, you've got the wrong girl."

He rolled his eyes and reached for her. "Of course I do."

She stepped away again. "No, seriously, I'm her sister." She stuck a hand out. "Adriana."

Now realization was dawning on him, quite fast it would seem. He was gobsmacked, for lack of a better word. "Oh god. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in town, Aria never said anything...please don't tell her about this."

"Oh no, I'm _definitely_ telling her." She smiled, chuckling as she looked at his guilty reaction.

"...Yeah, you're her sister." He smiled shyly.

She still had her hand out. What had he never shaken hands with people before? Who was he, Tarzan?

"You gonna tell me you're name?"

"Oh! Sorry!" He shook her hand quickly, shaking his head in the process. "I'm Ezra. Ezra Fitz."

"_Ezra_...nice name. I like it." She smirked. Aria had good taste, she'd give her that.

"I'm really sorry. I should have said something first. I thought it was going to be a surprise-"

"Oh, it was a surprise alright." He sighed, and noticing the almost sad look plastered on his face, she spoke up. "It's ok, really. We can just pretend it never happened. Start fresh. We've already introduced ourselves, so let's just go from there."

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now, I gotta go. But hey, next time, I'm sure Aria will be very happily surprised." She smiled before picking up her board, which had turned itself over when she'd been dragged off of it, and went back to riding through the town. _Well, that was interesting._

* * *

"Ade, will you come with me? To look for Mike?" Aria stood in her doorway, and Ade looked up from her book to nod. With all the stuff Aria had told her about Mike within the last few days, she knew the girl would need all the help she could get.

"Sure." Standing to her feet, she walked with the girl downstairs, out the door, and all the way to the basketball courts where Mike was supposedly playing at every day after school.

Aria walked off to talk to some of Mike's teammates, and Adriana just stood there, looking out across the courts.

Spotting Jason playing with some guys, she turned away. After their encounter at Ian Thomas's funeral, she honestly didn't know what to say to him. While he was apparently _'glad she was back_', she couldn't just go hang around him and act like they were back to old times again.

Feeling something bump against her leg, she looked down. A basketball. Leaning down, she picked it up and turned around, seeing Jason making his way towards her. "Lose something?"

He gave her a short smile. "Yeah, sorry."

She took the opportunity when it presented itself. Aria was over there talking to Lewis, she might as well do some investigating of her own. "You havent seen my brother by any chance, have you?"

"Nope, sorry. What, he give you guys the slip?"

"Something like that."

"Well, can't say he didn't learn from the best. We were always lying about where we were when we were younger. Even _who_ we were at times." She couldn't hold the chuckle that escaped her lips at the memories.

**FLASHBACK**

_Practically falling over each other in their drug-induced state, Jason and Ade stumbled through the door of a hotel lobby, laughing loudly as they made their way up to the front desk._

_"Hi. We'd like a room please."_

_The man at the desk looked at them with a raised brow, but turned to the computer anyways. "Names?"_

_Jason hesitated for less than a second before answering. "Chris."_

_Ade paused, having to quickly come up with an alias. "And I'm...Cassie."_

_The man looked at them for a moment, but nonetheless, typed the names into the computer. Jason paid and the man gave them a key, and the pair all but ran towards the elevators. The minute the doors shut and they were alone, Jason shoved Ade up against the walls, their lips hungrily attacking each other's as one of her legs came up to wrap around his waist._

_"Cassie?" He pulled her closer, if that was even possible._

_"It's a Skins thing, don't ask. I couldn't think of anything else." She didn't let him reply as she covered his lips with her own._

_When the elevator doors opened, Ade grabbed Jason's hand and ran with him towards their room, fumbling with the key card as Jason stood behind her, moving her hair out of the way so his lips could get at her neck. As soon as the door was open, she pulled him inside, both of them ripping away at the infuriating barriers called clothes._

_That was definitely a 'Do Not Disturb' moment._

**END FLASHBACK**

Ade smiled to herself. "Chris..."

"Cassie..." She looked up at him, their gazes locking together.

They both chuckled, and Ade reveled in the smile she'd managed to elicit from him. She didn't think he'd remember. She should have known better than to underestimate him.

Ade pulled a loose bit of hair back behind her ear as Aria walked up beside her. "Hey, Lewis hasn't seen him. He said Mike hasn't played here for the last couple of months."

The smiles faded as Jason looked at the two twins, Ade looking back at him. Without a word, he nodded and turned, beginning to walk back to his game. _Damn you Aria._

After taking a few steps, however, he turned back around. "Hey Ade?"

She looked back at him. "Yeah?"

"I'll see you later, ok?" He gave a smile.

She grinned in response. "Definitely."

He turned the basketball over in his hands a few times as he turned away, looking back once before returning to his game.

Turning back to look at her sister, Ade noticed the look Aria was giving her. She was obviously uncomfortable with all that she had just witnessed.

"What?"

"I don't trust him." Aria looked off at Jason, shaking her head.

"You've_ never_ trusted him." Rolling her eyes, Ade turned around and walked away from the courts.

"Probably for good reason. Ok, he's always been creepy." Aria followed quickly.

"So, what's that saying about me? If he was creepy, what was I?"

"That's not what I'm saying." Before she could continue, Adriana cut her off.

"Can we just find Mike, and stop talking about this, please?" She turned around and walked off and away from her sister.

_Buzz! Buzz!_ Stopping dead in her tracks, Ade pulled out her phone and looked down.

**Blocked ID:** _So many memories, so little time. Remember this one? -A_  
**File Attatchment**

Ade's fingers shook as she opened the attachment. In the next moment she felt the blood drain from her face as her body went cold.

"Ade? What is that?" Aria's voice caused her to jump as she shoved her phone back in her pocket, putting on a smile.

"Nothing. Just a text from dad. Let's go." She grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her along, her mind on overload as she tried, and failed, to process all that had just happened.

* * *

It was late at night, and Adriana had just been sitting downstairs, having been unable to sleep, when there was a knock at the door. Pulling herself up from her spot on the couch, she made her way over to the front door, pulling it open to face none other than Jason DiLaurentis. Then, she noticed who he was with.

_Mike._

The younger boy simply walked past her, not bothering to even say anything, despite Ade's attempts to get his attention. Sighing to herself, she turned to Jason. "What happened?"

"I found him at my house."

"Wait...he broke into your house?"

"Never actually got in. I caught him at the window. Lights were all off. He probably thought no one was home."

Leaning against the door frame, Adriana let her head fall back against the wood. "God dammit. I can't do this."

"Hey, it's ok. He's knows he's been busted."

She looked at him. "You didn't call the police...why?"

He was silent for a moment before he replied. "I've seen enough cops at my house for one year."

Ade nodded in understanding, looking down at her hands.

"Do you wanna...walk with me? For a little bit?" She looked up into his eyes, searching them for..._something_.

"Yeah, sure. Just...one second."

Stepping back inside, she snuck upstairs and grabbed some shoes from her room, stopping by Aria's door, she looked inside to see her sister asleep in her bed. She made her way silently back downstairs and out the door, closing it as quietly as she could.

"You good?"

"Yeah, let's go." As she took a step away from her house, he followed, and the two of them walked off into the night.

* * *

Stepping back inside after more than an hour, Ade rested against the door, a smile on her face that was without explanation. She was happy. For the first time since she'd return, she was inexplicably happy. Walking with Jason, talking to him, with no interruptions, it was perfect.

Making her way upstairs and into her room, she turned the lights on and sat down on her bed to take her shoes off.

"Where have you been?" Ade's heart stopped and she almost jumped out of her skin as she looked up at her sister.

"Shit! Sneak up on me why don't you!" She half-yelled, trying to keep her voice down so as not to wake Mike, or her parents.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Chill out ok? I was just with Jason." She pulled her other shoe off and tucked them under her bed.

Apparently that wasn't the answer Aria wanted, because the girl sighed and came to sit by her sister. "Listen...I don't think you should be hanging around him."

"Listen, Aria, I get that you don't trust him but-" She was cut off. _Rude._

"No, Ade, you listen. Ok, the girls and I have been talking about it since Jason came back to town, and...ok, for all we know, Jason could be A, or at least working with them."

Ade held back her scoff, sort of. "No. You're wrong about him. He would never do something like this."

Her sister was on the defensive now, looking at her with an almost angry look in her eyes. "You don't know that!"

Yeah, well she could get angry too, which was exactly what she was doing. "Yes, I do. Ok, you don't know him."

"You may think you know him, but...it's been a year. People change."

"Not that much."

"Ade..." Aria could easily see that her sister was about to be pissed at her, but it was obvious that Aria felt that she had to get through to her somehow.

"Just drop it, Aria." Ade snapped, staring hard at her sister, who seemed to visibly shrink back.

Ade breathed, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down. "It's late. Ok, let's just talk tomorrow, ok?"

Aria was silent for a moment before she replied. "Ok." She stood and walked to the door. "Good night."

"...Night."

* * *

**A/N: Third chapter up! I feel accomplished! Now I can sit down and start making more excerpts and teasers. I've already got a few pages written on ones that I want to do, so I've got that ready. I'm thinking about posting the first chapter of a new fic too. I'm excited about it. It's a Pogue Parry (The Covenant) fic. I actually started working on that one before I started this one, but this one grabbed my attention more, so it got posted first, obviously. I know I'm probably rambling and taking up your time (if you're even reading this, which you're probably not and I'm just talking to myself), so I'll just stop here. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll try to have the next one up in the next few days! And remember, reviews are always very, very, very much appreciated. They might even persuade me to write faster. Keep that in mind.**


	4. Back to the Beginning

**A/N: This chapter is entirely a flashback. It's set back before Ade was sent away, up to her departure. It's a bit spotty, but that's because I wanted to fit all the scenes in. There are more that I wanted, but this is what I got. The other flashbacks will just have to come in other chapters. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything. Just the thoughts in my mind, but those aren't worth much.**

* * *

Ade was slammed against the wall. She'd have a bruise in the morning. Lifted up off her feet, her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as Jason pressed himself against her, hands gripping at her hips (which would only lead to more bruises) and nails digging into her soft flesh. A moan escaped her lips as he rubbed himself against her, lifting her away from the brick wall of the DiLaurentis house's kitchen and holding her up with nothing but his own strength.

Pushing her up onto the countertops, Jason smiled at her as he parted from her lips for only a second before attacking at her neck. Reaching up, Ade tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled hard as he continued to grind his hips into her.

"You do know people eat off of those right?"

Ade rolled her eyes as she looked over to see Alison leaning against the door frame, arms crossed with a condescending look on her face, not to say that that was anything unusual.

"Piss off Alison." Jason waved her off, turning back to Ade and leaning in again.

"Sorry, I live here."

"Apology not accepted." Ade quipped, sighing inwardly and sitting up on the countertop. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? Like, I don't know, brainwashing my sister and her friends?"

"They're my friends. Not hers. None of them would even know each other if it wasn't for me. And even I need a break from them sometimes."

Ade tensed. She and her sister may not have been the tightest of friends, but Aria was still her sister.

"Ali, shut up." Jason snapped, before turning back to Ade and resting his forehead against hers. "We should probably go. The guys are probably waiting for us."

Ade smirked. "Well, they can wait a little bit longer." She kissed him, and felt him chuckle against her lips as he picked her up and carried her upstairs. They wouldn't be leaving the DiLaurentis house for at least another hour.

* * *

"How long do you think you're going to be able to get away with this?" Ade sat outside in the courtyard at Rosewood High, her peace interrupted as her sister sat down beside her and tugged one of her headphones from her ears.

"Might be easier to answer if I knew what you were talking about." She rose a brow at her twin, a smirk playing at her lips.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You and Jason. The drugs. Ok, I know about it, and sooner or later, you know Mom and Dad are going to find out."

"Is that a threat?"

"No. I just...I'm worried about you, ok?"

"Maybe you should be the one people worry about Aria. I mean, look who you keep as a friend."

"This is not about Ali."

"Well, maybe it should be." Ade's phone buzzed and she looked down, a smile crossing her lips. Looking back up at Aria, she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever...I gotta go." Standing to her feet, Adriana grabbed her bag and walked off, making her way out to the front drive where Jason was driving up and waiting for her.

Jumping in the car, Ade ignored all the stares from the rest of the student body and sat back as Jason grinned and drove off.

* * *

Sitting atop the counter-top in one of the lesser known bars just outside Rosewood, Jason leaned against her legs as their group laughed and talked the night away.

When the joint that was being passed around got to her, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting the smoke fill her lungs. Jason ran a hand up her bare leg and she smiled, not looking down just yet. Instead she just felt. And oh god the way he made her feel.

"So, Jason, you gonna share the little girl anytime soon?" One of Jason's buddies grinned at her as she grabbed a can of whipped cream that had been sitting behind the bar.

"Not likely." Though Jason had a smile on his lips and a playful sound in his voice, no one could miss how defensive he got at the comment, and the underlying warning in his words.

"And what if she wants to be shared?" Another one spoke. This time, it was Ade's turn to respond.

"Have any of you looked in a mirror lately? Probably not gonna happen."

"What? You head over heels for Pretty Boy?"

"He's prettier than you." Jason barked with laughter as some of the guys around them cheered. Ade put a little whipped cream on her finger before sucking it off, noticing Jason leaning his head back and looking at her.

"Looks sweet."

"Wanna taste?" She smirked as she leaned down and squirted some into his mouth before capturing his lips with hers and letting her tongue glide across his. It was sweet, and the feelings it sent down her spine were intoxicating, even more so than the booze and smoke the group had been drowning themselves in all night. The boys around them cheered, and Ade smiled.

* * *

**ONE MONTH LATER** (during which the big secret happens)

Sitting outside the school, Ade knew she should be in class, but she just couldn't bring herself to go. It just didn't seem worth it. Not that it really had before, but at least she'd gone enough to keep it off her parent's radar. Now, she just didn't care.

"Skipping again? You know, sooner or later, somebody's gonna find out."

"Are you gonna tell them?" She didn't look up. She knew who was talking.

"Why would I do that?" Ade could almost feel Alison's smirk. She just rolled her eyes.

"What do you want Alison?" Looking up, Ade blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I haven't seen you around the house lately. Or my brother, for that matter."

"What do you want?" She repeated, this time harsher than before.

"Just to talk. Did something happen?" "_Just to talk" my ass._ Looking at the blonde, Ade for the first time actually felt disarmed by the look in her eyes. It almost seemed like she knew something, something she shouldn't.

"Why me? Don't try to act like you're suddenly interested in me, Alison. We both know it's not true."

"Maybe I've always been interested in you. It was just a bit hard given your...relationship with my brother."

Ade rolled her eyes again, not wanting to listen to anything she said, but she couldn't hide the fact that at that moment, she was vulnerable. More so than she had ever been when it came to Alison, and at the comment about Jason, Ade visibly shrank back. That was a subject she didn't particularly want to touch.

"_Bullshit_. You've never given a damn about me."

"Maybe not as much before, but...I can tell you're hurting, even if I don't know why." _Really? You can tell? Well that must mean you have eyes!_ Ade bit back the sarcasm, part of her not even feeling up to it.

"And you are Aria's sister. I know she's worried about you, and I care about her. Thereby extension, I sort of have to care about you too."

Ade didn't say anything. It wasn't that she believed anything the girl was saying, she just couldn't bring herself to fire any retorts.

Though, she did flinch when Ali put a hand on her own. It might have been meant to be comforting, but in reality it was just creepy.

"I hate seeing you like this."

She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. There were times when Adriana could pretend to be at least_ civil_ towards Alison DiLaurentis, for her sister's sake, but this wasn't one of them. Ripping her hand away from the girl's, Ade jumped to the ground and looked her in the eye.

"Screw you."

With that, she left, walking off campus and straight into town, not caring as to whether or not her parents or anyone else might see her.

Then, she saw him. _Jason_. He was sitting on a bench, looking down at his hands. Seeming to sense her presence, he looked up, and their eyes met. She wanted to talk to him. She did. She just didn't know what to say. She hadn't meant for them to drift apart so much, but they had. She wanted to change that, but how could she? After what had happened? A few nights of drug sex wasn't going to be able to fix this. Ade wasn't sure anything would. Maybe their...thing had just run its course.

That was a lie. She knew it was, but there was nothing to be done about it, so, closing her eyes to hold herself steady, she turned on her heel and walked off in the other direction.

* * *

**WEEKS LATER**

"You should have seen the way Jenna was acting today. She was practically throwing herself at all the guys on the field hockey team. I bet she's done them all. Each and every one. Probably at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised if..."

Ade wasn't listening. She was just sitting there, picking at the grass. Alison just kept pulling her along, and she'd enlisted Aria to do the same. Nowadays, Ade could barely go anywhere without the five of them popping up somewhere.

The sound of a door slamming caused her to jump to attention, her head snapping up as she saw Jason storming out of the house. She'd barely seen him at all within the last few weeks, but she certainly hadn't expected this. A dark purple bruise covered one of his eyes, his lip was split, and his knuckles were scraped. He stopped upon seeing her, noting the shock in her eyes. Looking out at the group she was currently sitting with, he visibly ground his teeth and walked off.

"Wow. Angry much?" Alison broke the silence, causing a fire to ignite within Ade that she couldn't ignore.

"God you're a bitch." She didn't have to look to know that every one of the girl's jaws had hit the floor. All except Ali, who just looked at her with a mix of well-disguised shock and anger.

"What?"

Turning to her, Ade glared back, and the look in her eyes, some could debate, was far worse than what Alison was giving off.

"He's your brother. He comes out looking like he was just run over by a bus and you don't even care! What would you do if one of them looked like that?" She motioned to the girls. "Would you even bother to ask if they were ok? I know you wouldn't for me, and I wouldn't want you to. You put yourself on this giant pedestal, telling everyone what to do, and you expect them all to just fall in line behind you, to jump when you say jump and dance when you say dance. You. Are. A bitch, Alison. You always have been, and you always will be. You actually think it's fun to get inside people's heads and learn all their secrets. Is it because you know they wouldn't care about you if you didn't have something on them? You blackmail people into being your friend and make them think it's love."

Ali interrupted her. "I don't have to blackmail people into liking me. I don't have to fuck them either."

"Ali!" Ade's head snapped to her sister, surprise written clear on her face. Had she just spoken out for _her_? And not Alison? A ghost of a smile flashed at her lips, but disappeared just as quickly. Standing to her feet, Ade glared down at the girl, who just sat there smiling.

"Go fuck yourself Alison."

Even behind the smirk, Adriana could see it. Alison wasn't used to anyone talking to her like that, to someone taking away her power, even for a second.

She didn't wait for a reply. She just walked off, turning her back to Alison, Aria, and the utterly shocked faces of Hanna, Spencer, and Emily.

* * *

The next day, no one saw Adriana, and the sun was already setting by the time she walked through the front door of her home, however she stopped when she saw her parents, sitting in the living room, glaring at her. On the table..._Oh god no. Please, no._

The stash of blunts and her lighter were laying there, along with her pipe. Next to them was a piece of paper.

The tension in the air was thick. Ade could feel her world crashing down around her. "I thought we'd raised you better than this."

"Mom I..."

"No. You don't get to speak. How long did you think you could hide this from us! No, how long has this been going on? We've always taught you to be independent, but_ this_?" Her dad yelled, his voice hard with anger. They were furious.

They just kept yelling, and Ade retreated into her mind, not wanting to hear it. She couldn't handle this. But how had they found out? From where she stood, she looked at the paper. From what she could tell, it was a letter.

No, she wouldn't...

_Alison._

Had she really gone that far just for _revenge_? Had she really told Ade's parents just because she'd had the nerve to call her out in front of her followers?

Silence passed over the room, before Adriana's mother spoke, her voice stiff and emanating disappointment. "Go to your room. Now."

She looked at them, tears pooling in her eyes, before she ran up the stairs. She slammed the door to her room and threw herself on the bed. Letting the tears fall for however long before she sat up, pulling her knees into her chest. She was losing everything all at once and she just wasn't strong enough to handle this. She wasn't.

Hearing the loud voices of her parents, she moved to stand by the door, opening it and listening to them. Her mother's voice was the first one she heard.

"How could we not have seen this? Ok, our daughter has been doing drugs for god knows how long!" The confusion and disappointment were clear in her voice. It was like a stab through the chest.

"What do you want me to do Ella? I just found out too!"

"What are we going to do?" This time her mother sounded almost scared. Ade held back the tears.

"Maybe we should send her somewhere? Ok, getting out of this town for a while may do her some good."

And there it was. They were going to send her away. She felt like she was breaking on the inside. She leaned her head against the door frame, closing her eyes and wishing all this had just been some big nightmare, and not just this day, but every day since for at least a month and a half. She just wished everything could go back to how it used to be.

Opening her eyes, she saw her sister, standing a few feet away.

"Guess you were right." She said, her voice broken. Turning, she moved back into her room, climbing up on top of her bed again and hugging her knees to her chest.

Aria followed, sitting beside her. "I didn't want to be."

"You should be proud. I mean it was your friend who told them."

"What?"

"Oh come on Aria? Did you really think Alison was just going to let me pass after saying what I did? I spoke the truth so she just had to get even."

"Why would you think Ali did this?"

"Please...who else would have sent them that letter?"

"Maybe Jas-"

"Don't. Don't you dare." She looked up at her sister, warning flashing in her eyes.

"...Sorry."

"What you think they're gonna do?"

"I don't know. That's what scares me."

"I'm gonna try to talk to them. Ok, they can't send you away."

"Yes they can. I don't think there's any coming back from this one." She looked at her, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Aria sat with her for a while after that. They didn't speak, they just sat there, letting the silence surround them.

* * *

Later that night, Ade walked into Mike's room. He looked up at her with sad eyes as she plopped down next to him.

"Are they still fighting?"

"Yeah...Yeah, they are."

"Are they gonna send you away?"

She choked back her tears. "I don't know, Mike. I honestly don't know."

After that, they just lay there, watching TV. Before long, Aria brought three bowls of food in and they ate together. Tonight was not the night for a big family meal at the dinner table.

* * *

"Adriana!"

Sitting up, Ade stiffened with fear. She made her way downstairs slowly, coming to see the faces of her parents sitting at the kitchen table. They looked tired. They must have been up all night.

And it was all because of her.

"Sit down."

She sat, not saying a word.

"We've been talking, and...we think it would be best if you got out of Rosewood for a while. There's a school in England, and we've already spoken to the principal."

England? They were sending her to England? Not that she didn't love the country, because she did. She was all for the double-decker buses, the telephone boxes, and the fish and chips, but _England_?!

She still didn't speak. She didn't dare.

"You'll need to pack your things. We'll talk to Aria and Mike, and tell them what's going on, and we've already spoken to the school."

They didn't even sound mad anymore. They didn't sound_ anything_. They were blank. They had given up.

"We're doing this for your own good."

She nodded, and all but ran back upstairs.

It only took a few days for everything to be put in order. So, that Saturday morning, Ade stood outside, putting her suitcases in the back of her father's car. Closing the lid, she turned and almost smiled. Emily, Hanna, and Spencer were all walking up. But then, there was Alison. What was she doing here? Had she come to gloat on her victory?

Emily was the first to speak. "I can't believe you're leaving." She hugged her. It was weird. They hadn't really been friends, and yet here she was, hugging her and almost in tears. Spencer hugged her too, as did Hanna. But when Ade came to Alison, she stopped. The other girls had gone to talk to Aria, leaving the two alone. "Looks like you got what you wanted."

The girl smirked. "I always do."

As Adriana's parents passed, Alison put on a sad smile. "I just can't believe you're leaving, after we were _finally_ becoming friends."

However, Ade wasn't about to pretend. It wasn't worth it. "We were _never_ friends."

She saw the way her parents looked at her after she spoke. But what more harm could she do?

"Wait!" A voice shouted, and Adriana turned. Toby.

He ran up and hugged her. "I had to say goodbye."

"I would have killed you if you didn't." The boy gave a sad laugh.

"Don't worry, ok? We'll talk everyday. You'll end up getting sick of me."

"Of you? Never."t

"Time to go." Ade's mother said, breaking up the moment between Ade and one of her only remaining friends. Toby had been there during the time after her drifting apart from Jason. He'd been one of the only people to keep her going.

Hugging her friend one last time, Ade didn't miss the way Alison seemed to scoff at the sight.

Aria and Mike both got in the car, and in the end, so did Ade. The drive to the airport was long, and silent. No one spoke.

The goodbyes at the terminal had been just as long, if not longer, than the ones at the house. Just as she turned to go through security, Ade turned back to Aria.

"Tell Jason..." She paused. What did she want to tell him? What _could_ she tell him?

Shaking her head, she swallowed a sigh. "Nevermind."

* * *

**Yay! That was fun to write, seriously. I liked this chapter. I think it really gives insight into Ade as a character. And I was still sneaky and didn't let you know what the big secret was. But hey, here's a challenge. Either go on the tumblr, damaged-fanfiction, and tell me what you think the secret is, or tell me in a review on here. First 7 people to guess right get shoutouts (I just really like the number seven. Harry Potter reference anyone?) So...yeah! Oh, and I'm working on the first chapter for the John Mitchel fic, so that should be up soon if you're into Being Human (UK). But...yay for stuffs!**


	5. Turn Down the Music

**A/N: Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! I suck, I know, but I've just dived into summer, which means, new roleplays have started, and I also started a summer class, and I have just been swamped, but as compensation, you get a little surprise at the end. That does not mean skip to the end now to see what it is. Don't ruin it! I won't keep you, just...enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own PLL, and after all this time, I still don't own Drew Van Acker either. Ugh. I do get to claim Ade though!**

* * *

"Adriana! Ade!"

Mona.

Stopping, Ade inhaled deeply and put on a smile. This girl...god she was persistent.

"Yeah, hi, Mona."

"So, everyone is talking about your return to Rosewood, and...I was thinking, we should throw a party! A welcome back party!"

Ade stammered. Mona wanted to throw her a party? Sure, she'd always been civil to the girl, friendly, even, but that didn't mean they'd been friends. And now...a party?

"Oh come on, it'll be fun! Please?"

_If it will get her off my back..._ "Fine. Why not. A party sounds nice."

"Great! I will plan the whole thing. Do you think Spencer would let us use her lake house?"

Ade rolled her eyes slightly and shrugged. "You'd have to ask her."

"Speaking of Spencer, you heard Jason moved back in next door to her right?"

"Yeah, pretty sure that's old news by now."

"So...?"

Ade rose a brow. "So, what?" Lifting a water bottle to her lips, she looked at the girl.

"Jason! Are you guys dating again? I'll need to know whether or not to invite him." Ade choked, coughing and spluttering water.

"Um...we never really...dated." That was true. Them dating would imply that they'd been a couple, meaning one on one dates, valentines day presents and romantic gestures, none of which had been a part of their little relationship. However, Ade could easily see where Mona was coming from. It was the same place the entire student body had been a year ago. She and Jason had practically been joined at the hip, sometimes more_ literally_ than others, and one was rarely seen without the other. Jason would pick her up from school (at least on the days she went), and she'd always hang around him and his friends. But they weren't a couple. What they'd had been more physical than emotional, even if neither of them could deny that there had been a fair amount of emotion put into all of it.

"Seemed like it." Mona shrugged. Ade could only nod, wiping the water away from her lips.

"Well, if you want to invite him, go ahead."

"Awesome! I'll catch up with you later kay?" She smiled. _Dear god that's terrifying._

"Sure." Anything to get you to go away.

And off she went, strutting down the halls with a smile on her face.

Yeah, she scares me. Ade blinked twice before turning and making her way down the hall.

"Hey Adriana...I heard you were back but I had to see it with my own eyes." A voice caused her to stop. _Can I not just go to my locker?_ Rolling her eyes, she turned to face none other than Noel Kahn. That alone was cause for another eye roll, and a sigh.

"Nice to see you too Noel, I guess."

"You look different."

"No shit."

"I like it."

She almost choked in laughter, but instead, she hid it under a chuckle. "Nice try." Turning, she'd barely taken a step before he was up beside her, almost blocking her path, but still just enough to keep her from getting away.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. I know you and Jason aren't a thing any more-"

"So, what? You thought you'd give it a go? That kinda thing usually has to be two-sided, or at least that's what I've heard. And sadly, I was never one to swoon for all your bravado and testosterone, that was my sister, but hey, even that's changed. You had her, you lost her, and now you're going for her sister. At least we can say you're persistent."

He looked taken aback. Ade had never had that hard a time reading people, but Noel Kahn was an open book, and a boring one at that.

"Leave her alone, Noel." And suddenly there was Toby.

"We're just talking. Actually I think she just tried to psycho-analyze me."

"That wasn't psychoanalysis, Noel, that was just me stating the facts."

The look in his eyes was almost formidable. And in the next moment, he was backing off._ Thank god._ "Whatever..." And away he went.

Turning to Toby, Ade smiled. "I just want to go to my locker. I want to go to class, I want to learn, and I want to be a model citizen in this town! God, these people..."

He just laughed. "You're such a liar."

"Yeah, that was all total bullshit, but I really do want to go to my locker. These books are heavy." In her arms, Ade held all of her new textbooks, from all of her classes.

She almost yelled out in joy and relief when Toby took some of the books from her arms. "Oh you beautiful wonderful human being. You deserve cookies. I'm making you cookies." Another laugh.

"Last time you tried to make me cookies they turned into hockey pucks."

"I forgot they were in the oven!" She couldn't help but smile. This was what she needed. Just a light, good-natured moment with a friend. Toby had seen her at her best, and he'd seen her at her worst. He'd still been her friend even when she was hanging out with Ali, most likely because he knew that she hadn't really wanted to, and he knew that Ade would never, no, could never turn into one of Alison DiLaurentis's mindless minions. She talked back too much for that.

Looking to her side to smile at Toby was a mistake. She figured that out when she crashed into someone, sending a couple of the books from her stack tumbling to the ground.

"Shit."

"You know, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to use that sort of language in school."

Looking down, Ade sighed. Jason. Well, at least nowadays he was a gentleman. Look at him, picking up her books.

"Never stopped me before."

"I know..." He smiled down at her. It was a half-smile, but she took it. She also took her books, when he handed them to her. "Thanks."

She wanted to say something else to him, but now wasn't the time. Nor was it the place.

"I should probably go. I'm working with-"

"The at-risk kids. I know. My sister told me. Quite the turn-around. Couple years ago, we were the at-risk kids."

"We went way past at-risk."

Ade chuckled, shrugging her shoulders and giving a nod. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Toby standing there awkwardly. Here he was helping her and she was making him stand there.

Turning back to Jason, he seemed to understand what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth. "I'll see you later?"

She smiled and gave a nod. "Yeah...sure."

With that, he walked off, and the moment was over.

"So, you two..." Toby stepped up beside her. While his words were teasing, his face looked a bit, for lack of a better word, _worried_.

"No...no. I just keep running into him."

"You sure he's not running into you?"

"Do you want to lose your cookies?"

He just laughed, pulling a smile from Ade. She'd definitely missed this.

The day seemed to fly by with classes, going out with her siblings to get frozen yogurt, and laying in her room listening to music. However, once again, she was interrupted by her sister pulling one of her ear buds out.

"Hey, check your phone once in a while."

Sitting up, she raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Why?"

"Because, apparently, that party you said Mona was going to throw you? It's tonight. And since you are the guest of honor, you kind of have to go."

The shock was clear on her face. _You have got to be kidding_. "That's tonight? She only just talked to me about it_ today_!"

"She's Mona, she does everything in a day. Now hurry up and get dressed."

With a groan, Ade stood up and walked to her closet. _Can I never just listen to music?_

Ade definitely got her wish that night. Well, in some form. By the time they reached the venue where Mona had thrown the bash, Music was practically causing the room to vibrate.

"ADE!"_ Not again..._ Putting on a smile, Ade turned to face Mona. There was no way this girl was really human. She had to be some alien life form. From the future. With secret magic alien powers.

"Wow. Mona, hi. This place is..."

"I know right? Don't you love it? I mean it was all just thrown together last minute, but I think I managed to pull it off."

"Yeah, it's great. Great job."

"Yay! I'm glad you like it! Hey, I'll catch up with you later kay?"

Ade just nodded, and the girl sauntered off.

When she was gone, Ade leaned in towards her sister. "She scares me."

Aria simply pat her hand. "She scares everybody." The two girls laughed, and made their way into the crowd, where person after person shook Ade's hand and offered many "welcome back!"s and "it's good to have you home."s. _Do I even know half of these people?_

After being at the party for an hour, Ade just couldn't take it anymore. Slipping out a back door, she made her way into the night, slumping against a brick wall and closing her eyes. With a sigh, she tried desperately to banish all thoughts from her head. Even from out here, she could practically feel the music, which was still as lively, and as loud, as it had been when she'd first arrived. Sooner or later, someone was probably going to call the cops. In truth, Ade didn't even know why Mona had thrown her this big party. It wasn't like they'd ever been great friends. Sure, Ade had been nice to her where Alison had been cruel, and on the days she'd actually decided to go to school, during lunch, when she saw the girl sitting alone, she'd sit with her, partly just to piss of Her Royal Bitchness, but they still hadn't really been best buds. And suddenly, Mona was practically squealing at the thought of her being back, and was throwing her parties? Who was this girl? She didn't even look like the same girl! Mona had changed. That much was obvious. But then again, in the last year and a half, a lot had changed.

"I thought the guest of honor was supposed to be_ inside_ the party?" Ade practically jumped out of her skin when Jason's voice had broken through her thoughts. Pressing a hand over her heart, she looked over at him.

"Sneak up on me why don't you?" _So Mona did invite him..._ Ade wasn't sure if she was nervous, or excited.

"I didn't sneak. I walked. You just weren't paying attention." He stood in front of her, and out of habit, she straightened up. There was such a height difference between them already, she didn't need to make it worse.

"Sorry. I've got a lot on my mind."

"Clearly. But, you still haven't answered my question." She looked up at him, confusion written in her eyes. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I was, earlier. I needed to get outside, so I did." She shrugged, restraining herself from fidgeting.

Silence passed between them, and, with their history, silence never turned out very...well, needless to say, Ade broke the silence rather quickly. "So, Mona invited you then?"

"Yeah, she caught me while I was up at the school. Told me I should come."

"And you did." Now it was his turn to shrug his shoulders.

"I did." He took a step closer.

"I didn't think she'd be throwing it today. I thought I'd at least have a week to come up with an excuse for why it should be canceled."

"Why would you want it to be canceled?" Another step closer

She just rolled her eyes. "Please, I don't actually know half the people in there, and most the ones I do know couldn't have cared less that I'm back. I don't see why she had to make such a big deal about something so..._insignificant_."

Another step. "Your sister probably doesn't think that. Or your brother. Or Toby...Or _me_."

Ade's eyes snapped to his, and she jumped. He was close enough that she wouldn't even have to reach out to touch him. Looking up into his eyes, all words flew from her mind, and her voice went silent, her lips slightly parted. The entire atmosphere around them seemed to be changing, closing in until it was just the two of them.

He leaned in...

She leaned in...

"_Ade! Adriana!_" The moment shattered when Mona's voice echoed from inside. _Mona, I swear to god..._

Jason stepped away, much to Ade's dismay, and he smiled. "Tomorrow, meet me at the grill?"

So, maybe she wasn't_ that_ dismayed. She smiled back. "Sure."

And with that, he disappeared, walking off into the darkness.

Walking back inside, Ade dashed away to hide from Mona. Luckily, Mona knew how to throw good parties, and therefore, there was a bar. Now, Ade hadn't had a drink in over a year, but tonight, she was going to need it if she wanted to get through this party. Reaching the counter, she looked up at the guy for a minute, and he seemed to understand without her saying a word, and proceeded to put a shot in front of her. She downed it without a second thought.

And when her phone buzzed the next minute, she, at first, thought nothing of it. Until she looked at the screen.

**Blocked** **ID**: _Careful Ade, you know what happens when you drink and drive. -A_

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**A/N: Ok, so...I've been getting a lot of reviews and likes and follows and favorites and stuff, and...I just want to say thanks. Ok, I never expected any of this. Seriously, I just thought, hey, I'm already writing it, why not share it? And you actually have liked it, and the support a lot of you have given me is just amazing. There are literally no words. Just thank you guys. And I promise I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner than I did this one. And again, sorry!**


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